Cooling system



June 6, 1939. R, A HARRB y 2,161,570

' COOLING SYSTEM Filed April 25, 1936 #wf/WOR R A. HARRIS Patented June 6, 19379' COOLING' SYSTEM Robert A'. Harris, Oak Park, Ill., assignor to West` ern Electric Company,

Incorporated, New

York, N. Y., a corporation oi' New York Application4 April 23, 1936, Serial No. '16,029

`7 Claims.

This invention relates to cooling systems, and more particularly to'apparatus for cooling molten matter.

'Ihere is described in" the copending application of E. W. Larsen, Serial No. 637,465, led October 12, 1932I now United States Patent 2,084,149 a press for continuously extruding lead or lead alloy an annular chamber I2 which contains the extrudable material. A core tube -I3 extends longitudinally throughout the length of the chamber I2. At the rear of the chamber I2 are a plurality of tubular ducts Il'through which the material 5 to beextruded is fed in molten form under substantial pressure supplied by a pump or other suitable means (not shown). vAt the front end of the chamber I2, a die I5 is positioned with its inlet opening adjacent to and concentric with '10 the end of the core tube I3 at 20. The die I5 is carried in a disk-shaped holder I6 which'is secured to the face of the casting I by means of a retaining ring I'I and bolts (not shown). The die l is an elongated hollow cylinder in ll form and is positioned in the holder` I6 by means of a threaded portion I8 on its outer periphery engaging corresponding threads in the die holder I6. The position of the inlet die opening with respect to the core tube end and the resultant '20 contour of the extruded cable sheath isreg'ulated by means of the threaded portion I8 on the die periphery and a plurality of centering bolts I9 adjustably supported in threaded lugs 2l on the face of the casting I0.

` The machine described is particularly suitable for the application of lead or alloy sheath on cable. In the operation of the machine the extrudable material introduced through the ducts I4 is forced through the chamber I2 under' pres- 30 sure and reduced from a` molten to a plastic condition as it progresses through thechamber by the dissipation of heat. Broken lines 22 indicate the portion of material adjacent to the die opening that-ismaintained in a plastic condition. '35 The cable or other object 23 to be covered is fed through the core tube I3 and the plastic material at'the frontv of the chamber is forced through the Mspace between they die opening and the core tube to form the sheath around the cable as it 40 emerges from the core tube.

In accordance with a feature of this invention the. material .atthe die opening is rapidly and v`accurately conditioned for efl'icient extrusion by subjecting the adjacent portion of the extrusion chamber to a stream of atomized liquid. Accurate conformation of the extruded material to the'opening between the die and core tube and the quality of the resultant product are largely determined by the thermal condition of the material at this point. If the temperature is not uniform around the periphery of the die opening a distorted and eccentric sheath will result. Also, the desirable temperature range is critical because the material will blow through the die if 5l sheathon an electric cable. In this type of extrusion machine the material to be extruded is fed to the machine in molten form under pressure and reduced to plastic form as it 'progresses through the ',machine by the dissipation ofV heat. For economy in the use of power and to avoid excessive. size of apparatus itis desirable to restrict the portion of material which is in plastic form to the smallest possible volume consistent with the necessity for constantly maintaining such portion large enough to prevent a blowout of molten material at the extrusion orifice. This result -is best accomplished by a controlled application of an efficient cooling medium to the machine at points near the extrusion orifice.

Objects of the invention are to provide economical and eflicient apparatus for effecting and controlling the rapid dissipation of heat from heated material.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention the dissipation of heat in a machine of the type above described is effected and controlledby the introduction of atomized water in Aregulated quantities into chambers in the wall of the machine. Vaporization of the entrained water utilizes heat rapidly and the quantity of heat withdrawn from'the extrudable material is controlled by regulating the circulation of the-atomized water in accordance with the thermal condition of the material. f- 1 Other features and advantagesof the invention will more fully appear from the following detailed descriptiony taken in' connection with the accompanying drawing, in which the single gure is a longitudinal section through a portion of an extrusion machine provided with a cooling system embodying the invention; the mechanism' for preparing and circulating the coolant being j shown diagrammatically. y

In the accompanyingy drawing the reference numeral I0 designates a casting containing the extrusion chamber of Ya machine of the type described in detail in the copending patent application referred to` above. The construction and operation of the machine conform in general with the description in the above cited application which is briefly as follows: The external wall II of the casting I0 substantially encloses insufficiently cooled and excessive cooling will increase the extrusion pressure beyond.Y practical limits with resultant interruptions in the process, damage to the apparatus, or both. For maximum operating eiciency the portion of the charge that is reduced to a plastic condition should be continuously restricted to the area im-' mediately adjacent to the extrusion orice.

For these reasons a temperature regulating medium that can be introduced rapidly and in controlled quantities to localize and maintain the plastic mass is highly desirable. These qualities are provided in the apparatus and method described herein. in which atomized water is introduced into chambers in the wall of the die in quantities determined by the thermal condition of the extrudable material in accordance with the following detailed description.

'I'he atomized water is circulated through chambers in the wall of the die I5. Two channel shaped ducts 25 and 26 progress longitudinally in the die wall in the form of a helix and terminate in an annular chamber 21 located in the wall of .the die adjacent to the chamber I2 which'contains the extrudable material. At the outer end of the helical duct 25 is an opening 28 for the introduction of the atomized water and a port 29 is provided at the end of the helical duct 26 for exhausting the coolant In order to control the temperature of the material at the die opening accurately the annular chamber 21 is located as closelyas practicable tothe rearv wall of the die and the extrudable material. 'I'he chamber 21 is also enlarged tor accommodate a large quantity of the coolant and thereby facilitate its action at that location. Circulation of the coolant in the helical ducts 25 and 26 in regulated quantities assists in controlling the temperature of the material by aiding in the prompt y withdrawal of heat from the die region.

When the atomized Water enters the chamber in the die wall it is vaporized by heat from the extrudable material and the adjacent machine4 members. The resultant vapor is discharged through the port 29. This vaporizing action withdraws heat in proportion to the quantity of vapor formed as determined by the latent heat of vaporization of the atomized water. As this value is high, the temperatures of the machine members and the extrudable material respond rapidly to the cooling action and a prompt change in thermal condition of theextrudable material is effected when the atomized water is introduced. The high velocity of the atomized water facilitates its rapid introduction to all portions of the annular die chamber 21 and insures uniform application of the cooling action. y 'I'he atomized water may be prepared and circulated with the apparatus shown in the drawing. A quantity of air is supplied under pressure from a blower 48 or other suitable source. The air is ,conducted through a pipe line 4| which includes a magnetic valve 42 adjacent to the blower 40. The magnetic valve 42 is operated by a spring biased solenoid 43 to control circulation in the pipe line 4|. From the blower the air is con- \ducted in the pipe 4| over a container in which 'air passing through the pipe 4|.

When air is flowing in the pipe 4I an aspirator action is thus developed which entrains particles of water in the air. The character oi the mixture is controlled with a regulating valve 48 in the pipe 41 and a regulating valve 49 in the air supply pipe 4|. The atomized water formed in this manner is conducted under pressure supplied by the blower 40 through the pipe line 4| to the inlet 28, and,

through the ducts and chambers in the die wall 25, 21 and 26 in order. Vaporizationof the entrained water takes place within these chambers and the resultant vapor is discharged into the atmosphere through the port 29.

Circulation of the atomized water is controlled by the condition of the magnetic valve 42 which is opened or closed in accordance with the thermal condition of the extrudable material at the extrusion orice. The temperature at that location is measured with a thermocouple 50 connected electrically to a potentiometer controller I of conventional construction, In the potentiometer circuit within the controller 5| a battery 52 is connected in series with resistance wire 53 of aslide wire rheostat. One of the leads 54 from the thermocouple 50 is connected to one terminal of the resistance wire 53 and the other thermocouple lead 55 is connected to a variable arm 56 of the rheostat. With this arrangement the electromotive force generated by the thermocouple opposes the electromotive force in the potentiometer circuit supplied by the battery 52. When these forces are equal no current will flow in the thermocouple circuit but when they are unequal a proportionate flow will result. The current flow in the thermocouple circuit is indicated on a galvanometer 51 in series with the thermocouple lead 54. A pair of electrical contacts 58 in the galvanometer 51 are devised to close when the current indication reaches a predetermined value.

The balance between the potentiometer and thermocouple circuits and resultant current in the thermocouple circuit is determined by the position of the variable arm 56 of the slide wire rheostat.- My moving this arm along the slide wire 58 the quantity of current that will ow in the thermocouple circuit at any specified temperature of the thermocouple 50 can be controlled. i In operating the apparatus the arm 56 is set to cause the contacts 58 in the galvanometer to close when the `temperature of the thermocouple reaches the maximum desired value. The contacts are part of a series circuit which includes a battery 58 and the atomized water flows in the pipe line 4| and through'the chambers in the die I5. This is continued until the extrudable material has been cooled to the desired degree. Cooling of the material affects the temperature of the thermocouple 50 and the resultantcurrent ow vin the thermocouple circuit. This currentflow is reflected in the galvanometer indication. When the galvanometer indication is reduced sumciently the contacts 58 open to deenergize the'coil 10, release the relay and disconnect the solenoid 43, permitting the contained spring to close the valve 42 and interrupt circulation of the coolant. y

i 'I'he balance between" the potentiometer and thermocouple circuits and the corresponding thermocouple temperature at which the contacts 58 will operate can beregulated easily by adjustment of the variable` arm 56 in the slide wire rheostat. This facilitates close control of the cooling apparatus. and permits any desirable changes to be made readily in the temperature of the extrudable material. The flexibility of this control and the effectiveness of the atomized water as a cooling medium operate to maintain the extrudable material accurately at any desired temperature required-for maximum operating efficiency and high product quality.

Other modifications and adaptations of this invention will be apparent. It is feasible, for example, to control circulation of the atomized water manually or by the pressure actuated control disclosed in the above mentioned- Larsen application, and portions or modification of the control apparatus disclosed herein can be employed to accomplish correspondingly limited results. It is understood that the invention is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for extruding heated material, an extrusion chamber having apertured walls, and a temperature control device for said charnber, comprising means for measuring the temperature of the chamber, means for mixing water and air in predetermined proportions, and means responsive to the temperature measuring means for circulating the mixture of water and air in the apertured wall of the chamber.

2. In an extrusion apparatus for heated material, a device for maintaining a portion thereof at a predetermined constant temperature comprising a wall enclosing saidv portion and having an elongated chamber therein, means for measuring the temperature of said portion, an aspirator for entraining water in air in predetermined proportions, and means responsive tothe temperature measuring -means for circulating the mixture of water and airin said elongated chamber.

3. Inan extrusion apparatus for heated material, a device for maintaining a portion thereof at a predetermined constant 'temperature comprising a wallenclosing said portion and having an elongated chamber therein, a thermocouple for measuring the temperature of said portion, an aspirator for mixing water and air in predetermined proportions, a pipe line for conducting the mixture water to said chambers, and a magnetic ofthe thermocouple for controlling the circulation of said water and air mixture in the chamber.

4. In'an extrusion apparatus of the continuous type, an extrusion chamber havingl apertured walls, means for continuously supplying the chamber with matter to be extruded,v and means for controlling the temperature of said matter comprising means for entraining water in air in predetermined proportions, and means for'circulating A the mixed air and water in said'apertures in the walls of the chamber.

5. In an extrusion apparatus, a continuous extrusion chamber having aperturedjwalls, means for continuously supplying the chamber with mat- ,ter to be extruded, and means fon-controlling the temperature of said matter comprising means for entraining water in air in predetermined proportions, means for circulating the mixed air and water in the aperture in the walls of the chamber,`

and means responsive to the temperature of the chamber for regulating the quantity of mixed air and water delivered to said aperture.

6. In an extrusion apparatus, an extrusion chamber having an apertured wall, means for continuously supplying the chamber with matter to be extruded, vand means for controlling the temperature of said matter comprising m'eans for measuring the temperature of said matter, an aspirator for mixing water and air in fixed proportions, a pipe line for conducting the mixture of air and Water to the chamber wall aperture, and a `magnetic valve in said pipe line responsive to the condition of the temperature measuring means for regulating the flow of said mixture to the aperture. I

7. In a lead extrusion apparatus of the continuous type, an extrusion. chamber, 'a die in one end of the chamber, an end portion of the chamber having an apertured wall adjacent to the die, means for forcing heated lead through the chamber and die, a thermocouple in the chamber wall for measuring the temperature of the lead nearthe die, an aspirator for entraining water in air in predetermined proportions, a. pipe for conducting the mixture of air and water to the aperture, a magnetic valve in the pipe forcontrolling the flow of the mixture to the aperturefand means responsive to the thermocouple for operating the magnetic valve.

ROBERT A. HARRIS.

valve in said pipe line responsive to the condition 

